Matt Scherer (November 21, 1983 – December 7, 2021) was an American

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

athlete and a top professional

pacemaker A pacemaker, also known as an artificial cardiac pacemaker, is an implanted medical device that generates electrical pulses delivered by electrodes to one or more of the chambers of the heart. Each pulse causes the targeted chamber(s) to co ...

High school career

Scherer competed for Red Hill High School in

Bridgeport, Illinois Bridgeport is a city in Lawrence County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,886 at the 2010 census. History Bridgeport was established in the mid-1850s as a stop along the Ohio and Mississippi Railway. It was named by a railroad ...

, from 1999 through 2002. His senior year he scored 28 individual points at the Illinois High School Association State Championship meet, which placed his school 3rd in the team standings.

College career

Scherer attended the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

from 2003 to 2006 where he studied Business and was a 9-time

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

. In 2005 he ran the anchor leg of the 3rd place

4 × 400 m relay 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the Hi ...

team at the NCAA Championship meet, finishing in a time of 3:00.81 which was ranked #7 all-time in

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

Championship Meet History. He won the Pac-10 championship in the 400 m in 2006 in 45.19.

Professional career

Oregon Track Club The Oregon Track Club (OTC) is an American running organization based in Eugene, Oregon. History Emerald Empire Athletic Association Formed by Bill Bowerman, the Emerald Empire Athletic Association (EEAA) was the predecessor to the Oregon Track C ...

Ran the 400 meter leg of the American Record setting indoor

distance medley relay The distance medley relay (DMR) is an athletic event in which four athletes compete as part of a relay. With its inclusion in the IAAF World Relays program, the IAAF announced on May 1, 2015 that the event would be an official world record event ...

on February 12, 2010. Ran 1:14.41 in the 600 m on June 15, 2008, the 8th fastest time ever run

Personal life

It was announced on December 8, 2021, that Scherer died that week, at the age of 38, as per a statement by RunnerSpace where he worked as the Chief Operating Officer.

Pacing career

Began pacing full-time in 2011 and paced for many of the top 800 m and 1500 m runners in the world.
This table lists the records he paced:

Personal bests

* 200 m - 20.89 - 5/13/2006 * 300 m - 32.77 - 8/8/2006 * 400 m - 45.19 - 5/14/2006 * 400 m Hurdles - 53.21 - 2003 * 600 m - 1:14.41 - 6/15/2008 * 800 m - 1:46.11 - 6/8/2008

References

External links

Official website

docs.google.com
- Extensive statistical spreadsheet on races paced by Matt Scherer
Official obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scherer, Matt 1983 births 2021 deaths Oregon Ducks men's track and field athletes American male middle-distance runners People from Lawrence County, Illinois Track and field athletes from Illinois Pacemakers